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Body Contour Drawing: Outline and Interior Lines
Learn to draw a body using contour line only: separate outer silhouette from interior surface strokes, compare both on a plate, and check your work with a simple convention.
Free lesson
Four exercises
Worked answers
Object Drawing Lessons
Contour line drawing records edges and surface changes without shading. This lesson focuses on one narrow skill: distinguishing the outer silhouette of a body from interior contour strokes that describe form inside that silhouette. You will use a simple convention so that outline and interior lines can be compared clearly, and you will check your work with measurable criteria rather than a single correct appearance. The plate described here is planned as a free printable resource; it is not yet built, so all practice is described in text and can be done on plain paper.
Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.
Defining the two line types
An outline stroke follows the outer boundary where the body meets empty space. It is continuous or nearly continuous and closes the shape. An interior contour stroke sits inside that boundary and marks a change in surface direction, such as the crease at a bent elbow, the ridge of a collarbone, or the fold where a limb meets the torso. Interior strokes do not close the silhouette and should not be used to build proportion or to shade.
Use one convention throughout: outline strokes are drawn heavier and unbroken; interior contour strokes are drawn lighter and may stop where the surface change ends. This convention is a choice, not a universal standard. Any consistent alternative is valid if it is stated and applied evenly, for example a dashed outline and solid interior lines. The goal is comparison, not imitation of one style.
- Draw a simple body pose on plain paper using only the outer boundary; keep the outline unbroken.
- Mark three interior surface changes you can actually see or infer from the pose, such as a knee crease, a shoulder ridge, and a waist fold.
- Draw those three interior strokes lighter than the outline and stop each where the surface change ends.
- Label one outline segment and one interior stroke so the comparison is explicit.
Comparing silhouette and interior strokes on a plate
A comparison plate places the same pose twice: once with outline only, once with outline plus interior contour strokes. The plate is planned as a printable reference with an outline example, interior stroke examples, and practice boxes. Because it is not yet produced, you can make an equivalent comparison on a single sheet by drawing two boxes side by side and repeating the same simple pose in each.
In the left box, draw only the silhouette. In the right box, repeat the silhouette and add interior strokes at the same locations. Keep the pose identical so the only variable is the presence of interior lines. This controlled comparison makes it easy to see whether an interior stroke describes a real surface change or merely repeats the outline.
- Divide a sheet into two equal boxes and label them Outline and Outline plus interior.
- Draw the same simple standing pose in both boxes, using the same outline convention.
- Add three interior strokes only in the right box at matching locations.
- Compare the boxes and note one place where an interior stroke clarified form and one place where it duplicated the outline.
Checking line quality and consistency
Check that the outline closes the body shape and that interior strokes remain inside it. Check that the chosen convention is applied evenly: if outline is heavier, every outline segment should be heavier; if interior is lighter, every interior stroke should be lighter. Count the interior strokes and confirm each one corresponds to a named surface change.
A simple arithmetic check helps: count outline segments and interior strokes separately. For a beginner plate, three to five interior strokes per pose is a reasonable hypothetical target; this number is an example, not a rule. If you have more than eight interior strokes, check whether some are shading or proportion construction that belongs outside this task.
- Trace the outline with your finger to confirm it closes without gaps.
- Count interior strokes and write the number beside the drawing.
- Name the surface change for each interior stroke; remove any stroke you cannot name.
- Confirm the convention is applied to every line without exception.
Worked example
A simple standing pose is drawn in two boxes. In box A only the outline is drawn. In box B the same outline is repeated and three interior strokes are added: one at the elbow crease, one along the collarbone ridge, and one at the waist fold. The outline is drawn heavier and unbroken; interior strokes are lighter and stop where each surface change ends. Check the drawing against the convention and count the line types.
Worked answer
The outline closes the body shape in both boxes and is heavier throughout. Box B contains exactly three interior strokes, each lighter than the outline and each corresponding to a named surface change: elbow crease, collarbone ridge, waist fold. No interior stroke closes into a loop, and no stroke functions as shading. The convention is applied evenly, so the comparison between silhouette and interior contour is clear.
Four practice exercises
Exercise 1
On plain paper, draw a simple seated pose using only an unbroken outline. Then add exactly three interior contour strokes: one at the knee crease, one at the hip fold, and one along the forearm ridge. Use a heavier outline and lighter interior strokes. Count and label the line types.
Show answer and check
A closed heavier outline surrounds the seated body. Three lighter interior strokes appear inside: knee crease, hip fold, forearm ridge. Each interior stroke stops where its surface change ends. The count is one outline and three interior strokes, with labels.
Why: The task separates silhouette from interior surface change and applies one convention evenly. Three named strokes keep the comparison controlled and checkable.
Check: Trace the outline for gaps; count interior strokes and confirm the number is three; name each surface change aloud; confirm every interior stroke is lighter than the outline.
Exercise 2
Draw two equal boxes. In both, draw the same simple standing pose with an unbroken outline. In the right box only, add four interior strokes at the shoulder ridge, elbow crease, waist fold, and ankle bone. State your convention in one sentence and apply it to every line.
Show answer and check
Both boxes contain the same closed outline. The right box adds four lighter interior strokes at the named locations, each open-ended. The stated convention, for example heavier unbroken outline and lighter interior strokes, is applied to every line in both boxes.
Why: Repeating the same pose isolates the presence of interior strokes as the only variable, making the comparison valid. A stated convention makes the check objective.
Check: Confirm the poses match; count four interior strokes in the right box and zero in the left; verify the convention sentence matches every line; check that no interior stroke closes into a loop.
Exercise 3
A drawing has a closed outline and six interior strokes, but two interior strokes are as heavy as the outline and one forms a closed loop. Identify the errors, state the fixes, and give the corrected count of valid interior strokes.
Show answer and check
Two strokes violate the convention because they are as heavy as the outline; they should be redrawn lighter. One stroke violates the open-ended rule because it closes into a loop; it should be stopped where the surface change ends. After correction, the count of valid interior strokes is six, assuming all six name a surface change.
Why: The check is consistency of convention and correspondence to surface change, not the number alone. Correcting weight and closure restores comparability.
Check: Compare each interior stroke weight to the outline; inspect each for closure; recount valid strokes after correction and confirm each names a surface change.
Exercise 4
Draw a simple body pose twice on one sheet. In the first drawing use a dashed outline and solid interior strokes; in the second use a solid outline and dashed interior strokes. Add two interior strokes per drawing at the same locations. State which convention you prefer and why, using one checkable reason.
Show answer and check
Both drawings show the same pose with two interior strokes at matching locations. The first uses dashed outline and solid interior; the second uses solid outline and dashed interior. A valid preference statement names a checkable reason, such as the solid outline being easier to trace for gaps, while acknowledging that both conventions are consistent and valid.
Why: Alternative conventions are allowed when stated and applied evenly. The comparison tests whether the difference between outline and interior is clear, not whether one style is universally correct.
Check: Confirm each drawing applies its stated convention to every line; count two interior strokes per drawing at matching locations; verify the preference reason refers to a checkable property such as traceability or contrast.
Common mistakes
- Using interior strokes to build proportion, such as measuring limb length with internal lines. Keep proportion construction out of this task. Draw the silhouette first, then add only surface-change strokes inside it.
- Making interior strokes as heavy as the outline, so the two line types cannot be compared. Apply the stated convention evenly: outline heavier and unbroken, interior lighter and open-ended.
- Closing interior strokes into small loops that read as separate shapes. Stop each interior stroke where the surface change ends; do not close it unless the surface change itself is a closed ridge.
- Adding many short strokes that function as shading. Limit interior strokes to named surface changes and count them; remove strokes that only darken an area.
Self-check rubric
- Outline closes the body shape and is applied with the stated heavier, unbroken convention.
- Interior strokes are lighter than the outline and stop where each surface change ends.
- Each interior stroke corresponds to a named surface change; no stroke is unexplained.
- No proportion construction or shading is used inside the silhouette.
- The chosen convention is applied evenly across the whole drawing, including any valid alternative such as dashed outline.
- A count of outline segments and interior strokes is recorded beside the drawing.
Questions and answers
Is there one correct contour line for a body?
No. Contour lines record observed or inferred surface changes, and different valid conventions exist. The check is consistency and correspondence to a named surface change, not a single universal line.
How many interior strokes should a drawing have?
There is no fixed number. A hypothetical beginner target of three to five per pose is given as an example only; the real check is that each stroke names a surface change.
Can I use dashed lines instead of lighter lines?
Yes, if you state the convention and apply it evenly. The comparison depends on a consistent difference between outline and interior strokes, not on one specific style.
Does this lesson cover anatomy or shading?
No. The boundary excludes figure proportion construction and shaded anatomy. This lesson compares outer silhouette with interior contour strokes only.